Socketed furniture leg receiving member



July 16, 1957 M. E. ARDEN lSOCKEITED FURNITURE LEG RECEIVING MEMBER Filed may 1o, 195e a EBEE):

TLIIT IN V EN TOR.

uA/an E. AMEA/ /3 /Nf @AJ fram/Ef UnitedStates Patent-Chee SOCKETED FURNITURE LEG vRECEIVING l MEMBER Manuel E. Arden, Detroit, Mich. Application May 10, 1956, Serial No. 584,041 4 Claims. (Cl. 311-99) This invention relates to furniture construction and more particularly to a leg mounting and floating hinge therefor.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a -novel leg receiving housing with a pair of right angularly related sockets of predetermined shape for snugly securing therein one end of a correspondingly shaped leg.

It is the further object of the present invention to provide a floating hinge construction, which eliminates the heretofore unsightly hinge such as now used on bridge tables, folding tables or other furniture, whereby the said leg may be retained within either of said sockets.

It is the further object of the present invention to provide a pair of angularly related leg mounting sockets together with'a ileXible spring type hinge whereby the leg may be easily changed from a use position to a storage position, quietly and safely and be equally rigid in either position.

It is the further object of this invention to provide in a table, furniture or other object removable legs which will be securely and firmly supported against all normal pressures just as a permanently positioned leg.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claims in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevational view of a table showing one of the legs as in use `and in dotted lines for storage.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the leg mounting means shown in Figure l, with the leg in assembled position.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary right side view thereof with the leg withdrawn from its supporting housing, and with a portion of the table shown in section.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 3, but with the leg rotated into storage position.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the leg receiving housing shown in Figure 4.

It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely a preferred embodiment of the invention and that other embodiments are completed within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth.

While the invention is generally directed to a furniture construction having a top platform and means for removably securing legs in one of two positions, the present drawing for illustration shows the invention herein as embodied in a card table or the like.

Said table in Figure l includes a top platform 11 and depending from adjacent each of the corners thereof a leg mounting and retaining housing secured thereto.

Each of the said housings 12 have formed therein a pair of right angularly related elongated sockets 13 `and 14 of predetermined across sectional shape. In the present embodiment of the invention this cross sectional shape is square.

Patented July 16, 1957 Socket 13 opens downwardly as at 15 Figure 4, whereas socket 14 opens laterally -as at 16.

/ Said housing has intermediate its ends upright partition 17, which defines a common side wall for socket 13 and end wall for socket 14. This partition at its lower end terminates in the bottom wall 20 defining socket 14. Upright narrow slot 18 is formed centrally through partition 17 throughout substantially its height and at its lower end connects with horizontal slot 19 formed throughout the length of bottom wall 20.

These slots provide a clearance for coiled spring 24 as the leg 21 is moved from the solid line position shown in Figures 2 and 3 to the collapsedy horizontal position of Figure 4.

Each of the legs 21, one of which is shown, has at one end thereof `an elongated mounting head 22, which may be separate from the leg and separately joined thereto or which may be formed as an integral part thereof.

This mounting head 22 is of a cross sectional shape corresponding to 'that of sockets 13 andV 14 and of a size and length as to'be slidably and snugly received frictionally within either of said sockets alternatively.

The outer end of the leg mounting head 22 is transversely tapered at 23 to facilitate registry of the mounting head and leg for manual projection into either of the slots 13 and 14.

Coiled spring 24 is anchored within housing 12 as at 25 Figure' 4, preferably at the bounding inner end wall 28 of slot 13. The opposite end of said spring extends down into bore 26 within mounting head 22 -and is suitably anchored therein `as by the pin 27 or other fastening means.

In operation, leg 21 is assembled when the table is in use to assume the position shown in Figures 1 and 2. All four sides of mounting head 22 or of the upper end of the leg, as the case may be, are cooperatively engaged by the corresponding four side walls defining socket 13. At the same time the upper end of leg 21 is retainingly engaged by wall portion 28 which is a part of housing 12 to thereby provide a positive registry with said leg.

In order to collapse` the table to'storage position, leg 21 is manually withdrawn from housing 12 against the tension of spring 24, such as to the position shown in Figure 3, disengaging mounting head 22 completely from socket 13.

With spring 24 serving as a llexible hinge, leg 21 is manually rotated degrees to the position shown in Figure 4 and is projected into slot 14 as facilitated by the tapered edges 23 as well as by the tension in spring 24.

In the final position, Figure 4, all four sides of the mounting head 22 are cooperatively and retainingly engaged by the corresponding four side walls which define socket 14. Additionally the end of mounting head 22 engages partition 17 to thereby also provide a positive registry.

During this rotating of the leg into storage position the coiled spring Z4 passes through the narrow slots 18 and 19 Figure 4 which provide sucient clearance through the socket defining walls but at the same time do not appreciably reduce the area of surface engagement of said walls with the corresponding four side walls of the leg or its mounting head.

It is contemplated that the housing 12 may be made from any suitable material such as metal, plastic, glass, rubber or may be formed of wood.

Having described my invention, reference should now be had to the claims which follow for determining the scope thereof. I claim:

l. In combination', a platform, a leg mounting and retaining housing secured thereto and depending therefrom, said housing having a series of walls therein and an upright partition defining a pair of right angularly related tion, one socket opening downwardly and the other opening laterally, said partition defining a common side wall of one socket and an end wall of the other socket, each socket having bordering walls on all sides and an end wall, said partition at .its lower end terminating in a bottom wall bounding the laterally directed socket, there being a common upright and narrow slot formed through said partition and bottom wall, a leg, an elongated mounting head at one end of said leg of a cross section-a1 shape corresponding to said sockets and of a size aud length to be slidably and snugly received around its entire exterior surface frictionally within both of said sockets alternately, and a coiled spring `anchored at one end to said housing within and at lthe -top of the downwardly opening socket and at its other end anchored down into said mounting head, said slot being of less width than said head but of a width to slidably receive said spring, said leg and its head being adapted for downward complete withdrawal from one socket against said spring and rotated to a horizontal storage position for snug longitudinal projection into the other socket, with said spring serving as a oating hinge, movable through said upright slot and for retaining said mounting head in said sockets.

2. The furniture construction of claim 1, both of said sockets being rectangular in cross-section with bounding walls on all four sides and on the bottom thereof for retaining cooperation with all four sides and the end of the leg mounting head.

3. in combination, a support, a housing secured to and depending therefrom, said housing having a series of right angularly related walls therein and an upright partition detining a pair of right yangularly related elongated separate sockets of square cross-section, adapted respectively to selectively retain a leg in positions parallel and alternately at right angles to said support, said partition defining a common sidewall of one socket and a bottom wall of the other socket, each socket having bordering walls on all sides and an end wall, there being a narrow upright slot formed through said partition and throughout the bottom wall of said other socket, a leg with one end square in cross-section, and of a size to be snugly and slidably received around its entire exterior Surface frictionally within both said sockets alternately, and a coiled spring anchored at one end to s-aid housing within one socket and at its other end anchored down into said end of said leg and movable through said slots as said leg is completely withdrawn from one socket, rotated and longitudinally inserted in the other socket, said slot being of less width than said leg but of a width to slidably receive said spring.

4. In combination a housing having a series of right angularly related walls and an upright partition defining therein a pair of substantially right-angul-arly related elongated sockets of predetermined cross-section adapted to selectively retain a supporting member of corresponding cross-section alternately in positions corresponding to said sockets, said partition dening a common side wall of one socket and bottom wall of the other socket, e-ach socket having bordering walls on all sides and an end wall, there being a narrow slot formed through said partition and throughout the bottom wall of said other socket, a supporting member having one end of said predetermined cross sectional shape and of a size to be snugly and slidably received around its entire exterior surface frictionally within both of said sockets alternately, and a coiled spring anchored at one end to said housing within one socket and at its other end anchored down into said end of said supporting member and movable through said slot as said supporting member is completely withdrawn from one socket and longitudinally inserted into the other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,039,868 Whitney Oct. 1, 1912 1,245,811 Smock Nov. 6, 1917 1,809,564 OConnor et al. June 9, 1931 2,487,401 Turner Nov. 8, 1949 2,606,802 Inpyn Aug. 12, 1952 2,683,069 Kimmel July 6, 1954 2,708,146 Adler May 10, 1955 2,719,068 Adler Sept. 27, 1955 2,736,626 Inpyn Feb. 28, 1956 

